00                            SENATE BILL NO. 302                                                                         
01 "An Act defining the term 'mental health professional' for the purpose of statutes                                      
02 relating to the evaluation of prisoners who may need psychological or psychiatric                                       
03 treatment, for the purpose of statutes relating to the evaluation of children in need of aid                            
04 and delinquent minors who may need to be confined in a secure residential psychiatric                                   
05 treatment center or who should be released from such a center, for the purpose of                                       
06 statutes requiring certain professionals to report the possibility that a vulnerable adult                              
07 has been abused or neglected, and for the purpose of statutes relating to mental health                                 
08 civil commitments."                                                                                                     
09 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
10    * Section 1.  AS 47.30.915(11) is amended to read:                                                                 
11                 (11)  "mental health professional" means a psychiatrist or physician                                    
12       who is licensed by the State Medical Board to practice in this state or is employed by                    

01       the federal government; a clinical psychologist licensed by the state Board of                                    
02       Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners; a psychological associate                                     
03       trained in clinical psychology and licensed by the Board of Psychologist and                                      
04       Psychological Associate Examiners; a registered nurse with a master's degree in                                   
05       psychiatric nursing, licensed by the State Board of Nursing; a marital and family                             
06       therapist licensed by the Board of Marital and Family Therapy; a professional                                 
07       counselor licensed by the Board of Professional Counselors; [AND] a clinical                              
08       social worker licensed by the Board of Social Work Examiners; and a person                                    
09                      (A)  with a master's degree in the field of mental health;                                 
10                      (B)  who has at least 24 months of post-masters working [IN                                    
11            SOCIAL WORK AND SUBSTANTIAL] experience in the field of mental                                               
12            illness;                                                                                                 
13                      (C)  who is in the process of qualifying for licensure by a                                    
14            board named in this paragraph; and                                                                       
15                      (D)  who is working under the supervision of a type of                                         
16            licensee listed in this paragraph;